Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tying One On with My Favorite Pal

her comment... I would pick the Lt Blue Brown Specs for my husband and son. My husband loves ties and would love it if our son matched him.

For better or worse, I'm married to a pretty anti-establishment kind of guy. He's definitely not a suit, by any stretch of the word. In fact, I think the only tie he owns is the one he was forced into wearing for his brother's wedding. Sad but true for this unrepentant Mod fetishist. (I had a boyfriend in high school who wore bespoke suits and skinny '60s ties and I never really got over it. The fashion, I mean, not the guy. He threw up in my parents' car after a party once so I got over that one pretty quickly, actually.)

Anyway, this all serves to underscore what a total butt-head my husband is for refusing to be photographed with Jasper in matching ties by My Favorite Pal. Yes, it's true that I had to go out and buy a plain collared shirt for Jasper to wear with his tie, but honestly, the cuteness was so worth it. (You'll see.) My Favorite Pal was founded by Brooke, a mama on a mission. She wanted to find cute dressy clothes for her son to match with her husband, like the boy version of mommy and me fashion: Daddy and Me. But she couldn't find anything and so, being enterprising, she started My Favorite Pal. Currently, she offers 20 necktie styles in sizes ranging from newborn to extra-long adult. They're VERY affordably-priced, from $13 (for boys ties) to $17 (for the extra-long men's tie). And they are beyond cute.

The styles at My Favorite Pal are pretty conservative, so they are perfect for matching most daddies. (Aside from those who feel that neckgear is akin to a noose wrapped around you by The Man, of course.) And for aspiring young businessmen of all ages! I was very impressed with the construction of the ties. All of the boys models feature a unique integrated zipper which allows you to simply unzip the tie to slip it over the head and then zip it up to tighten. It is totally ingenious and makes My Favorite Pal ties much more wearable than the clip-ons I remember from my youth and the strangulation hazard of traditional ties. Even Bob thought the feature was cool and admitted he might be more into wearing ties if the grown-up models had this feature! (So maybe he's less angsty and more lazy, sartorially. Hmm.) I think the finishing details of My Favorite Pal ties are adorable, too:

You might have noticed that I managed to buy a collared shirt with button-down collars. That don't really unbutton so you can't put a tie through. Nice one, mom. Still, I think Jasper is totally rocking that yuppie St. Elmo's Fire kind of vibe in his My Favorite Pal, no? He's like the littlest corporate raider. Of course, everyone knows we do have an actual anti-establishment fashionista in the house. Roo totally rocks the Black Flower. So new wave with her flowery dress! Hey, maybe these ties should become a mommy and me accessory…

To enter and win your own set of big guy/little guy ties (a $30 value!), please comment on this post with which pattern you like best at My Favorite Pal and who the lucky recipients would be.

Entries will be accepted through August 27th and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible. Only one entry/comment per person, please.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! Or, you may choose to check for your nickname at Prizey.Fetch, a site that compiles winners in one convenient place:

I like the "Black Pebble" pattern tie. These ties would be for my husband and my four year old boy. My husband wears ties for work occasionally so I know he would wear his. I'm hoping my four year old would want to wear one too so he could be just like dad. It would so cute!

Oh, I love the Lt Blue Brown Specs pattern! This would be perfect for my brother-in-law and his son... we were just commenting a few weeks ago that they only needed matching ties because they have matching suits! So cute! jeepcutie82 at msn dot com

Oooh these are such a cute idea! I love the "Red w/ Red Specs" and it would be for my husband and my oldest son who is 3! Because he loves playing with daddy's ties. This would be wonderful to win! Thanks!!

This is amazing. What a genius. I have 3 boys. Now I have to surprise my husband with all matching ties for Great family pictures. My favorite is Lt Blue Brown Specs. If I win I'm gonna have to buy more ;0)! khong0707@yahoo.com

My 4 year old son wears his "pilot's outfit" (which is a shirt and tie)almost any day he can! We've got to add to his tie collection, which only consists of 2 right now. The Blue Polka Dot is super cute!

Jasper looks so handsome in his shirt and tie! I really like the "Light Blue Brown Specs" Tie Set. My husband and youngest son would look great in their matching ties. Please enter me in your delightful drawing. Thanks, Cindijchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

I like the Black Pebble, it would go with so much.I love them all and I think the Dad son pictures are so cute.I would give it to my daughter's sister-in-law who has a son this is 3 months old, she dresses him as a little adult, so this would be perfect.Thanks for the contest

So...I REALLY love the Black Flower ties, but I don't know if I could get Little Man's dad to put it on...I also really like the red & black one that they have featured on their home page (and your post), but I couldn't find that one...The Black w/Silver stripe and the Red Polka Dot are sweet too...I guess I might have to get them all (w/$5 shipping, can't beat it!)

My son and I would be the lucky recipients. I have not bought a new tie in almost a year, and I wear one every day. My son Jack, three, has just started to find out that clothes have more on them than dinosaurs.